Sibling Support in Transnational Families: The Impact of Migration and Mobility on Sibling Relationships of Support Over Time and Distance

An increasing number of migrants are separated from their family by distance. Despite the geographic separation, these migrants and their relatives who “stayed behind” continue to maintain a sense of “familyhood” through transnational care and support practices. To date, research on transnational families has focused on the organisation of childcare across borders through transnational parenting, as well as the organisation of care for ageing parents by adult migrant children. In both bodies of literature, the role of sibling relationships is curiously under-examined, and a secondary consideration at best. Drawing on our research on the transnational support networks of older migrants, we explore this research gap. We begin with an overview of transnational families and highlight the importance of a focus on sibling relations. We then explore this new research field of transnational sibling care through a series of case studies. In the discussion that follows, we introduce a set of conceptual tools that help to shine a light on how non-migrant and migrant siblings support each other across distance. To conclude, we highlight how a focus on transnational sibling support shifts the focus from parent–child dyads to the role of the broader family network in family care.